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Femoral injecting among needle exchange users in East Kent
Ian Venables, Senior Harm Reduction Practicioner, KCA Thanet, Ramsgate
Abstract
Femoral injecting
Until recently, femoral injecting was largely perceived by injecting drug users to be unacceptably risky. Anecdotally, there has since been a significant increase in the proportion of injectors who now use the femoral vein regularly. There are also suggestions that although femoral injecting mostly becomes acceptable only after experiencing increased problems injecting into 'safer' sites such as the arm, some people now start using the femoral vein from the point when they are initiated into intravenous use.
This presentation will draw on findings from a convenience sample of 76 needle exchange attendees in East Kent. 56% of the sample had injected in their femoral vein on one or more occasions and a third regarded it as their main site. The mean duration between starting injecting and femoral injecting was 5 years and 7 months. The most important reasons for groin injecting were lack of other functional veins and the hidden nature of the femoral vein.
Among femoral injectors, over half reported that they had accidentally hit the femoral artery and/ or the femoral nerve. Although most respondents stated that they hadn't been initiated into injecting via the femoral vein, 5% stated that it was their first injection site. As a convenience sample, considerable caution is needed when inferring from these findings to wider populations. Nevertheless, some implications will be discussed with reference to realistic responses to groin injecting within treatment services.
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Biography
Author one: Ian Venables. Senior Harm Reduction Practitioner at KCA Thanet (East Kent)I have worked in the harm reduction field for 12 years. Part of my role involves research into injecting risk behaviour.
Author two: Neil Hunt is Director of Research for KCA; an Honorary Senior Research Associate at the European Institute of Social Services, University of Kent; Honorary Research Fellow with the Centre for Research on Drugs and Heath Behaviour; and is currently Chair of the UK Harm Reduction Alliance.
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